Rotman MBAs Win The Economist Business Challenge

TORONTO, September 24, 2002 -- A team of Rotman MBAs defeated their counterparts from 15 other American and Canadian business schools to win The Economist Business Challenge held on the weekend of September 21 to 23 at McGill University in Montreal.

The Rotman MBA students battled through four rounds of questions and problem-solving defeating teams, in come-from-behind thrillers, from the University of Michigan, Queen's University, Duke University, and HEC Montreal en route to their victory. Topics, taken directly from The Economist, ranged from "the stocks" to "the streets" and dealt with questions covering such issues as industry alliances and international trade to technological innovations. The teams also had to tackle case studies that were presented by leading CEOs, diplomats, business journalists, and trade experts including Governor Howard Dean of Vermont, and Larry Smith, publisher of the Montreal Gazette.

The Rotman team of Luke O"Brien, MBA'03; John Corinthios, MBA'03; and David Jarvis, MBA'03; took home the first prize of $3,000. Luke O'Brien won an additional $1,000 as the MVP of the entire competition.

The Economist Business Challenge is produced by World Affairs in association with The Economist magazine and is aired on select PBS stations as well as The Learning Channel. Other participating business schools included Harvard Business School, Wharton, Kellogg, and Ivey.

The University of Toronto's Joseph L. Rotman School of Management offers leading-edge research and degree programs, including the prestigious Rotman MBA, the Rotman Part-Time MBA, the One-Year MBA for Executives, a first-rate Doctoral program, the distinctive Master of Management & Professional Accounting program, the undergraduate Commerce program in partnership with the Faculty of Arts and Science, combined programs with the University of Toronto faculties of Law, Engineering and Nursing, and an innovative series of Executive Programs tailored to the current needs of businesses a nd individual managers.

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For more information or to arrange an interview with Alan Webber: 

Ken McGuffin  
Media Relations Officer  
Rotman School of Management 
Voice:  (416) 946-3818  
Fax:   (416) 978-1373 
E-mail:  mcguffin@rotman.utoronto.ca  

Greer Hozack, MBA’99 
Co-chair Unilever Speaker Series 
Rotman School of Management 
Voice: (416) 538-3886 
E-mail: Greer_Hozack@embanet.com